Built by Bevan Group, and fitted with a crash cushion and high-visibility light arrow board by Highway Care, the new truck is 2.2m shorter than a conventional impact protection vehicle, providing useful manoeuvrability and earning it the nickname ‘Stubby’.
The 18-tonne IVECO Eurocargo chassis is powered by a 247bhp six-cylinder Euro VI engine, and compliant with the capital’s ultra low emissions zone (ULEZ). Bevan Group fitted beacon bars and 4G recordable and downloadable safety cameras, including two to assist the driver when reversing – one is activated when the crash cushion is raised, the other when deployed.
The truck’s body has wells from which Priority TM’s operatives can drop traffic cones safely and rapidly, and Bevan added two tonnes of steel ballast beneath the bed, to ensure the truck achieved the minimum 10-tonne gross weight required for an impact protection vehicle.
Priority TM is a longstanding customer of Highway Care but had not worked previously with Bevan Group.
“The truck is clearly very well built, which is encouraging given that we anticipate running it for at least ten years, while round-the-clock breakdown cover by Bevan Group’s Aftercare Response provides added peace of mind,” says Duncan Crome, managing director.
“I took on this business in 2006 and have dealt with a variety of bodybuilders over the years, but I’d have no hesitation in describing Bevan Group as the best yet.”